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Siesta Key reaps benefits of No. 1 beach ranking

Tamara Meyer of Santa Cruz, Calif., lounges with a book outside Sarasota Surf and Racquet Club on Thursday. Meyer and her family have coming to Siesta Key for 30 years. The beachfront resort is sold out for several weekends, thanks in part to Siesta Beach being ranked as the No. 1 beach in the country by Stephen "Dr. Beach" Leatherman.

Published: Friday, June 24, 2011 at 12:43 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, June 24, 2011 at 12:43 p.m.

In the weeks since Siesta Beach was ranked as America's top sand for 2011, visitor interest in Sarasota and area lodging bookings at many properties have skyrocketed, hoteliers and tourism officials say.

Traffic was so high in late May on the Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau’s website that it almost crashed and the organization had to get more digital capacity.

At the Sarasota Surf & Racquet Club, all 188 condominiums are booked for the next four consecutive weekends. Typically, occupancy runs at about 80 percent early in the summer.

"We've seen a huge market increase," said Vicki Richardson, the club's general manager. "We're way above normal. We've seen a lot of new clientele and people booking online. I can't believe that the designation didn't have a lot to do with that."

Although exact visitors' figures are not known, Stephen "Dr. Beach" Leatherman's May 27 ranking of Siesta as the nation's top shoreline appears to be playing a role in increased — or planned — traffic throughout the Key.

For lodging operators and tourist spots alike, the heightened attention Siesta Beach is receiving comes as welcome relief after years of struggling against a wobbling economy and other woes.

Last summer, Siesta and other Southwest Florida beaches suffered from significant tourism losses amid incorrect perceptions that the area had been tainted by BP Deepwater Horizon oil.

Web visits at the tourism bureau's site grew 54 percent during May, and page views grew by 47 percent compared with the same month in 2010.

The bump was even more extreme on the day of Leatherman's announcement. On May 27, 2010 — when Siesta Key was ranked the No. 2 best beach in America — the bureau's website received 10,514 page views. This year on the announcement day, the agency attracted 38,049 page views, an increase of 262 percent. The total number of visits was up by 273 percent.

"It's been overwhelming," said Virginia Haley, the bureau's president. "We had more website capacity than we ever thought we needed, and we exceeded that. And more importantly, it seems to be translating into additional room nights, especially on the key itself."

To keep attention on Siesta throughout 2011 and beyond, the bureau also has secured the web domain name numberonebeach.com, which directs searchers to the Sarasota bureau's site.

Leatherman's pinnacle designation is significant because it typically results in a spike of 15 percent to 20 percent in the number of visitors.

For Sarasota, that would translate into 330,000 to 440,000 more visitors spending hundreds of millions of dollars, based on local expenditure averages.

Leatherman's No. 1 designation — prominently broadcast on NBC's "The Today Show," ABC's "Good Morning America" and on other outlets — together with falling gasoline prices bodes well for a stronger summer tourist season, at least in and around Siesta Key, officials said.

A survey by AAA this week found that while a majority of Floridians plan to take at least one four-day vacation before Oct. 1, roughly half said they planned to drive to their destination.

That method of transportation should help Southwest Florida beaches and properties as well, because a majority of visitors traveling here in summer months drive from other places in the state.

Gasoline prices statewide are averaging $3.56 per gallon, nearly $1 more a gallon than during the summer of 2010, AAA data show. In Southwest Florida, gas averages $3.51 per gallon.

Like the convention bureau, individual lodging properties also are trying to leverage Leatherman's ranking to gain more business.

The Holiday Inn Express Sarasota and Siesta Key is "celebrating" the designation with a 25 percent discount to travelers who stay two nights or more and mention the offer during check-in. The promotion from the 6600 S. Tamiami Trail hotel is slated to run through Halloween, according to its website.

Not every Siesta Key lodging property can trace a boost in business to Dr. Beach.

At Tropical Breeze Resort, business is up from last year at this time, but managers say increased bookings — for now — are likely more attributable to pent-up demand and the smoldering economy than the Dr. Beach designation.

"This year has been a major improvement over last," said Norman Amort, Tropical Breeze's general manager. "But I can't say that we've had a 5 percent, or a 10 percent, spike because of the ranking. We have had some customers who have not been here for a few years and they're back. So maybe the rating did influence them, but I can't say at this point it's the sole reason people are coming."

Still, Amort predicts that as summer vacation season gets into full swing, more travelers may select Siesta at least in part because of Leatherman.

Haley is not taking any chances.

Next month, the visitor's bureau plans to pay for Leatherman to fly to London to do a press tour and other events that will tout Siesta to foreign travelers.

For some resorts, including Sarasota Surf & Racquet, the attention from Dr. Beach's ranking could not come at a more opportune time.

"We really need it this year, especially," said Richardson, the resort's general manager. "Everyone's had a few soft winters."

<p>In the weeks since Siesta Beach was ranked as America's top sand for 2011, visitor interest in Sarasota and area lodging bookings at many properties have skyrocketed, hoteliers and tourism officials say.</p><p>Traffic was so high in late May on the Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau's website that it almost crashed and the organization had to get more digital capacity.</p><p>At the Sarasota Surf & Racquet Club, all 188 condominiums are booked for the next four consecutive weekends. Typically, occupancy runs at about 80 percent early in the summer.</p><p>"We've seen a huge market increase," said Vicki Richardson, the club's general manager. "We're way above normal. We've seen a lot of new clientele and people booking online. I can't believe that the designation didn't have a lot to do with that."</p><p>Although exact visitors' figures are not known, Stephen "Dr. Beach" Leatherman's May 27 ranking of Siesta as the nation's top shoreline appears to be playing a role in increased — or planned — traffic throughout the Key.</p><p>For lodging operators and tourist spots alike, the heightened attention Siesta Beach is receiving comes as welcome relief after years of struggling against a wobbling economy and other woes.</p><p>Last summer, Siesta and other Southwest Florida beaches suffered from significant tourism losses amid incorrect perceptions that the area had been tainted by BP Deepwater Horizon oil.</p><p>Web visits at the tourism bureau's site grew 54 percent during May, and page views grew by 47 percent compared with the same month in 2010.</p><p>The bump was even more extreme on the day of Leatherman's announcement. On May 27, 2010 — when Siesta Key was ranked the No. 2 best beach in America — the bureau's website received 10,514 page views. This year on the announcement day, the agency attracted 38,049 page views, an increase of 262 percent. The total number of visits was up by 273 percent.</p><p>"It's been overwhelming," said Virginia Haley, the bureau's president. "We had more website capacity than we ever thought we needed, and we exceeded that. And more importantly, it seems to be translating into additional room nights, especially on the key itself."</p><p>To keep attention on Siesta throughout 2011 and beyond, the bureau also has secured the web domain name numberonebeach.com, which directs searchers to the Sarasota bureau's site.</p><p>Leatherman's pinnacle designation is significant because it typically results in a spike of 15 percent to 20 percent in the number of visitors.</p><p>For Sarasota, that would translate into 330,000 to 440,000 more visitors spending hundreds of millions of dollars, based on local expenditure averages.</p><p>Leatherman's No. 1 designation — prominently broadcast on NBC's "The Today Show," ABC's "Good Morning America" and on other outlets — together with falling gasoline prices bodes well for a stronger summer tourist season, at least in and around Siesta Key, officials said.</p><p>A survey by AAA this week found that while a majority of Floridians plan to take at least one four-day vacation before Oct. 1, roughly half said they planned to drive to their destination.</p><p>That method of transportation should help Southwest Florida beaches and properties as well, because a majority of visitors traveling here in summer months drive from other places in the state.</p><p>Gasoline prices statewide are averaging $3.56 per gallon, nearly $1 more a gallon than during the summer of 2010, AAA data show. In Southwest Florida, gas averages $3.51 per gallon.</p><p>Like the convention bureau, individual lodging properties also are trying to leverage Leatherman's ranking to gain more business.</p><p>The Holiday Inn Express Sarasota and Siesta Key is "celebrating" the designation with a 25 percent discount to travelers who stay two nights or more and mention the offer during check-in. The promotion from the 6600 S. Tamiami Trail hotel is slated to run through Halloween, according to its website.</p><p>Not every Siesta Key lodging property can trace a boost in business to Dr. Beach. </p><p>At Tropical Breeze Resort, business is up from last year at this time, but managers say increased bookings — for now — are likely more attributable to pent-up demand and the smoldering economy than the Dr. Beach designation.</p><p>"This year has been a major improvement over last," said Norman Amort, Tropical Breeze's general manager. "But I can't say that we've had a 5 percent, or a 10 percent, spike because of the ranking. We have had some customers who have not been here for a few years and they're back. So maybe the rating did influence them, but I can't say at this point it's the sole reason people are coming."</p><p>Still, Amort predicts that as summer vacation season gets into full swing, more travelers may select Siesta at least in part because of Leatherman.</p><p>Haley is not taking any chances.</p><p>Next month, the visitor's bureau plans to pay for Leatherman to fly to London to do a press tour and other events that will tout Siesta to foreign travelers.</p><p>For some resorts, including Sarasota Surf & Racquet, the attention from Dr. Beach's ranking could not come at a more opportune time.</p><p>"We really need it this year, especially," said Richardson, the resort's general manager. "Everyone's had a few soft winters."</p><p><empty></p>